Marriott International Inc president and managing director Middle East and Africa, Alex Kyriakidis. Marriott International Inc president and managing director Middle East and Africa, Alex Kyriakidis.

Aon Hewitt has revealed the Best Employers Middle East 2013 list, with Marriott International (MENA) at number seven, making it the only hospitality company to be featured on the list.

The announcement follows Aon Hewitt’s Best Employers Middle East survey, which takes into account factors such as employee engagement scores, and a company’s efforts to make employees feel valued and empowered.

In addition to the results of the opinion survey, judges also considered data from an audit of HR processes as well as interviews with CEOs and leadership teams.

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Aon Hewitt Middle East chief executive officer Markus Wiesner said: “Participation in this year’s Best Employers is the highest yet, which is testament to the increasing focus that organisations across the region are placing on creating a positive work culture.”

“It is interesting to note that, while the average level of employee engagement in the Middle East is around 59%, this increases to 83% for Best Employers. Put simply, that means almost an extra 20% of people working for a Best Employer enjoys their job compared to the general workforce – and that’s 20% more people who are positively invested in the long-term success of the business,” he added.

The survey looked at more than 130 businesses with a combined total of more than 13,000 employees surveyed.

The panel of judges included Fatma Al Houti, HR director at the UAE Federal Authority for Government Human Resources; Shorouk Al Redha, head of HR at Commercial Bank of Dubai; and Nabil Ramadhan, chief operating officer of DIFC Authority.